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Pixel 9 line's ultraviolet fingerprint sensor is easier to use after Android 16DP2 update

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By Alan Friedman

Published: Dec 19, 2024, 5:29 PM

The back panel of a Pixel 9 Pro shows off the phone's camera bar.

When my Pixel 6 Pro became my daily driver I must admit that I missed the Face ID feature on my iPhone 11 Pro Max because it seemed to work faster than the optical under-display sensor on the Pixel 6 Pro. There were so many complaints about the biometric reader on the Pixel 6 line that Google reportedly looked at a way to somehow add facial recognition to the phone through a feature drop. But alas, it never happened leading Pixel 6 series users to demand that Google use an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner for the Pixel 7 line.

Google might not listen the first few times you ask for a feature, but eventually the Alphabet unit will hear you. It didn't add a faster and more accurate fingerprint sensor for the Pixel 7 or even the Pixel 8. Finally, Google did include an under display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor with the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL. The sensor used is the Qualcomm 3D Sonic Gen 2 which is the same exact one used on the Galaxy S24 line.

The Android 16 Developer Preview2 update was released by Google and with the update installed, you will notice a big improvement to the Pixel 9 series' ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. With the Android 16 DP2 release comes a feature named "Screen-off Fingerprint Unlock." Enabling this feature will allow you to unlock the phone with your fingerprint even if the display is off.

Google has released Android 16 Developer Preview2. | Image credit-Google

To activate "Screen-off Fingerprint Unlock," go to Settings > Security & privacy > Device unlock > Face & fingerprint unlock and turn on Fingerprint unlock. Because the Pixel 6 through Pixel 8 lines use an optical fingerprint scanner, a screen-off option is not possible. That's because these models require the light from the display to light the user's finger so that the sensor can view the fingerprint.

If you have a Pixel 9 series handset and don't enable this new feature, you will still be required to touch the display before using the ultraviolet fingerprint sensor which tends to slow down the process a little. Thanks to the latest Android 16 Developer Preview, using the ultraviolet fingerprint sensor on the Pixel 9 line is even faster and more enjoyable to use since the display does not need to be touched first. If you're not a developer, you should get this feature when the first Pixel 16 beta becomes available.

For Pixel users, the Android 16 DP2 update makes it easier for apps to use an adaptive refresh rate. This technology varies the refresh rate of the display depending on the content seen on the screen. For example, mobile games and animation will refresh the display at the highest speed possible (typically 120Hz) while e-mail, texts, and other static content will refresh at a speed as low as 1Hz. The update is said to also improve battery life and enhance haptic feedback.

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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.

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